Thursday, July 2, 2009

OFFINSO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION HOLDS 2ND GRADUATION (PAGE 17, JUNE 26)

TWO hundred and three teachers, including 39 females, were last Saturday awarded diplomas by the Offinso College of Education in the Ashanti Region to join the teaching profession.The ceremony, which attracted a cross-section of the public, was the second of its kind since the diploma education programme was introduced into teacher training colleges a few years ago.Mr Seth Yeboah was the only one who graduated with Second Class honours (Upper Division), while 17 of the graduates received Second Class honours, (Lower Division). While 108 of the graduates received Third Class honours. Speaking at the ceremony which had the theme, “Positive role modelling; a challenge to the teacher”, the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, said the time had come for teachers “to be committed to their duty by regarding teaching and learning as a pleasure to enable them to mould the human resource capital which Ghana requires for its socio-economic development”.He said that it was important for teachers to put up positive behaviour in their immediate environments because their actions did not only impact strongly on the impressionable minds of their students but also affected their future endeavours directly or indirectly.He implored them to refrain from using school hours to pursue their individual interests, stressing that such behaviour had a negative effect on the academic excellence of their students.The Principal of the college, Mr P.K. Opoku, commended the new graduates and urged them to put up positive attitudes in their respective communities to be good ambassadors of the college.He expressed concern over the inadequate infrastructure in the college, particularly accommodation for male students, and said the problem was undermining the admission of new students.